System and method for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility

A method for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility, the method comprising:

• dispatching a vehicle to autonomously deliver a first module from a first grow location within the agricultural facility to a transfer station within the agricultural facility, the first module containing:
• a first volume of water;
• and
• a first raft floating on the first volume of water and defining a first array of plant slots at a first density and loaded with a first set of plants at a first growth stage;
• extracting the first raft from the first module;
• transferring the first raft to a robotic plant manipulator at the transfer station;
• transferring a second raft, defining a second array of plant slots at a second density less than the first density and empty of plants, to the robotic plant manipulator;
• by the robotic plant manipulator, transferring a first subset of plants, in the first set of plants, from the first array of plant slots in the first raft into the second array of plant slots in the second raft;
• loading the first raft into a second module, the second raft filled with the first subset of plants and floating on a second volume of water contained in the second module;
• and
• dispatching the vehicle to autonomously deliver the second module to a second grow location within the agricultural facility.

A system for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility, the system comprising:

• a first conveyor configured to advance a first sequence of rafts toward a robotic plant manipulator at a transfer station, the first sequence of rafts occupied by a first density of plants at a first growth stage;
• a second conveyor configured to advance a second sequence of rafts toward the robotic plant manipulator, the second sequence of rafts defining arrays of plant slots at a second density less than the first density and empty of plants;
• a robotic plant manipulator configured to transfer sets of plants, occupying the first sequence of rafts, into arrays of plant slots in rafts in the second sequence of rafts;
• and
• a robotic raft manipulator configured to:
• receive rafts, in the second sequence of rafts, from robotic plant manipulator via the second conveyor;
• and load rafts, in the second sequence of rafts, into a second group of modules, the second sequence of rafts floating on volumes of water contained in the second group of modules;
• and
• a vehicle configured to autonomously transport the second group of modules to grow locations within the agricultural facility.